Chick box



G. LOTH I CHICK BOX Filed July 19, 1944 Oct. 22, 1946.

IN V EN TOR. Gaylord L 0th Patented Oct. 22, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE CHICK BOX Gaylord Loth, Sandusky, Ohio, assignor to The Hinde &Dauch Paper Company Sandusky, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio ApplicationJuly 19, 1944, Serial No. 545,636

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to paperboard shipping boxes and moreparticularly to boxes of the ventilated type used for shipping livechicks, which are so constructed that the boxes may be stacked withoutcutting oif the supply of air to the chicks. The invention has for anobject to provide a container of the type referred to which is soconstructed that all parts may be shipped in the form of flat sheetswhich are so scored and cut that the parts can be quickly and easilyfolded and assembled, and the assembled and folded parts securedtogether without the use of tools or other special equipment.

A further object is to provide a box body blank formed to interlock withand secure intersecting partitions in place therein when folded to boxform, and to provide interlockin parts on the box walls by which thewalls may be secured together at the corners of the box after assemblyon the partition members, without relative movement of the box walls.

A further object of the invention is to provide partitions that are heldin place by interlocking engagement with the box body, that are providedwith parts that interlock with the body of the cover to secure the coverin place and that have other parts that externally engage the coverflanges to hold them tightly against the box walls.

A further object of the invention is to provide crossing partitionmembers that divide the box into compartments, reinforce the box bodyand cover, and serve as spacing members to provide ventilating passagesover the tops and bottoms and around the side of the boxes when they arestacked.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention may be said tocomprise the box as illustrated in the accompanying drawing hereinafterdescribed and particularly set forth in appended claims, together withsuch variations and modifications thereof as are apparent to one skilledin the art to which the invention per tains.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawing forming part of thisspecification, in which Fig, 1 is a perspective view of a box embodyingthe invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of one of the partition members;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section taken on the line indicated at 3-3 inFig. 1.

Fig, 4 is a, fragmentary top plan view of a corner of the box;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line indicated at 5-5 in Fig.1;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the locking tabs in thepositions they occupy when the side wall tab is bent inwardly;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan view showing a corner portion of thepaperboard blank from.

which the box body is formed;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing a corner of the cover on anenlarged scale;

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section through the corner of the cover, and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary plan view, showing a corner portion of thecover blank.

Referring .to the accompanying drawing, the box of the present inventionhas a body portion formed from a rectangular blank of sheet material,which is cut and scored to provide a rectangular bottom portion I andside walls 2 integral with the walls I and hingedly connected to theside edges of the bottom portion I, the blank being cut at the cornersthereof and scored along the edges of the bottom I to provide side wallsthat are hinged to the bottom.

Theside walls 2 have vertical slots 3 midway between their ends thatextend upwardly from the lower edges of the walls and terminate short ofthe top edges thereof. Within the box there are partition members 4 and5 which cross each other at right angles in the center of the box, thepartition members being interlocked in the usual manner at the crossingpoint. At each end of each partition member, there is a projectingportionfi that is of a size to fit in the vertical slot 3 of the sidewalls 2, the partition members havin end edge portions 1 above theprojections 6 that engage with the inner faces of the walls 2 above theupper ends of the slots 3.

In assembling the box, the two partition members 4 and 5 are fittedtogether in crossing relation and placed upon the bottom I of the boxwith their end portions 6 registering with the inner end of the slots 3of theside Walls. With the partition members in this position, the walls2 of the box may be folded to vertical position to bring the upperportions thereof into contact with the edge portions 1 of the partitionmembers, the portions 6 of the partition members projecting through theslots 3 to interlock the partition members with the side walls as shownin Fig. 1 of the drawing.

In order to quickly and easily secure the walls of the box at thecorners without disturbing the interlocking connections between thewalls and the partition members after the walls have been folded tovertical position, one of the walls 2 is provided at each corner of thebox with a flap 8 that is hinged to the end thereof and adapted to beswung inwardly to a position at right angles thereto, and engaged withthe inner face of the adjoining side wall when the walls 2 are folded tovertical positions. The contacting portions of the wall and flapadjacent each corner are provided with registering slots 9 and II) whichare preferably formed in the upper edge portions of the wall and flapnear the corner. The side wall has tongue II that is struck up from theslot 9 and which is hinged to the body of the wall along the lower edgeof the slot 9. The slot II) of the flap has a tongue l2 that is struckup from the slot Ill and which is adapted to swing about a hinge 1inedisposed at right angles to the hinge line of the tongue II, the tongueI2 being connected to the flap along the side edge of the slot Hi.

In assembling the box on the partition members, the walls 2 are swung tovertical positions in engagement with the end portions 1 of thepartitions, with the flaps 8 at the corners positioned in contact withthe inner faces of the adjoining side wall. With the flaps so positionedthe tongues II of the side walls can be pushed inwardly into the slotsII] to the horizontal position shown in Fig. 6. This movement of thetongue I I pushes the tongue I2 inwardly to permit entry of the tongueII into the slot I0, and after the tongue I I has been moved tohorizontal position in engagement with the bottom edge of the slot II],the tongue I2 can be swung back into the slot It] in looking positionover the tongue II. The side walls of the box are thus quickly andeasily locked at the corners of the box without moving of the side wallsafter the box has been assembled upon the partition members. The sidewalls may be readily disconnected by swinging the tongues l2 inwardlyand returning the tongues II to vertical position, after which the walls2 may be swung into the plane of the bottom and freed from thepartitions 4 and so that the box may be knocked down for shipment orstorage after it has been used.

The partition members 4 and 5 serve to secure a suitable cover to thebox and to reinforce the cover. As herein shown, the cover is alsoformed from a flat rectangular blank that has a rectangular body portionl3 to which marginal flanges I 4 are hinged, suitable score lines beingprovided along the edges of the body portion I3 to permit hinging of theflanges. In each corner of the cover, one of the flanges M has a flap I5hinged thereto, which is adapted to be swung to a position at rightangles to the flange to which it is hinged, and to engage the adjacentend of the adjoining flange. Near each corner one of the flanges I4 isprovided with a slot l6 that extends inwardly from the free edge of theflange slightly more than half way across the flange, providing alocking tuck I! between the slot and the end of the flange. The flangewhich adjoins the flange with the slot at its end is provided with ahinged flap I5 and this flap has a slot I8 that is parallel with theflap hinge and that extends outwardly from the side edge of the flapwhich is alined with the edge of the body portion I3 to which the flangecarrying the flap is hinged. The slot I8 has a flared portion I9 andforms a tapering locking tuck 20 that is adapted to be inserted throughthe slot I5 of the adjoining flange while the flanges are being foldedto a position at right angles to the body portion I. In folding theflanges, the flap [5 is placed outside the end of the adjoining flange,and as the flanges are moved to a vertical position the tuck 2B isinserted in the slot l6 and the tuck I1 is inserted through the slot I8,the flaring portion I9 of the slot I8 serving to guide the tucks intoplace as the flanges approach their vertical positions, the flap and theadjoining flange being interlocked by means of the tuck portions I! and26, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawing. The interlocking portionsof the flanges I l and flaps I5 can be readily disengaged to permit theflanges I4 and flaps I5 to be swung back into the plane of the bodyportion I3 when desired, so that the box can be rapidly assembled at thepoint of use and can be readily knocked down for shipment or storageafter it has been used.

The body I3 of the cover is provided with elongated slots 2| that areadapted to receive projections 22 on the upper edges of the partitionmembers 4 and 5, the projecting portions 22 being provided with lockingtongues 23 that are adapted to be bent laterally into locking engagementwith the top of the cover, as shown in Fig. 1.

The projecting portions 6 of the partition members E and 5 have slots 24in the top edges thereof, which are closely adjacent to the outer facesof the side walls 2 and which are adapted to receive the lower edgeportions of the flanges I4 of the cover when the cover is placed on thebox, so that when the cover is fastened in place by means of the tongues23, the edges of the cover flanges are held snugly against the faces ofthe side walls by the projecting portions of the partition members. Thepartition members thus serve to reinforce the top, bottom and side wallsof the box, the top projections 22 thereof serving to support otherboxes with their bottoms faced above the cover, and the projections 6serving to space boxes which are placed alongside one another so thatwhen the boxes are stacked, air passages are formed between the tops andbottoms of the boxes and around the sides thereof.

It is to be understood that variations and modifications of the specificdevice herein shown and described for purposes of illustration, may bemade without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A shipping box having a body portion comprising a rectangular bottomand side walls integral with the bottom and hinged to the side edgesthereof, said walls having slots intermediate their ends extendingupwardly from their bottom edges and terminating short of their topedges, crossing interlocking partition members having end portionsfitting in said slots and projecting past the outer faces of the sidewalls and end edge portions engaging the interiors of the side wallsabove the slots, said projecting portions having slots in the top edgesthereof adjacent the outer faces of the side walls, a cover havingmarginal depending flanges telescopically engaging the outer faces ofthe side walls and extending into the slots in the top edges of theprojecting portions of said partitions.

2. A shipping box having a body portion comprising a rectangular bottomand side walls integral with the bottom and hinged to the side edgesthereof, said walls having slots intermediate their ends extendingupwardly from their bottom edges and terminating short of their topedges, crossing interlocking partition members having their lower edgesresting upon said bottom and top edge portions in the plane of the topedges of the side walls, said partition members having end portionsfitting in said slots and projecting past the outer faces of the sidewalls and end edge portions engaging the interiors of the side wallsabove the slots, said projecting portions having slots in the top edgesthereof adjacent the outer faces of the side walls, a cover 6 adapted torest upon said top edge portions of the partitions having marginaldepending flanges telescopically engaging the outer faces of the sidewalls and extending into the slots in the top 5 edges of the rojectingportions of said partitions.

GAYLORD LOTH.

